QUALCOMM STOCK FALLS 16%

Shares of Qualcomm Inc., developer of the world's fastest-growing cellular phone standard, fell 16 percent after the company warned that its chip and cell-phone shipments may drop this quarter.

Qualcomm dropped $24.38 to $124.63 in trading of more than 68 million shares, making it the most active U.S. stock. The stock surged 27-fold last year on optimism for the company's code-division multiple access technology.

Home sales growth slows

Higher interest rates led to a smaller number of Florida home sales in December 1999 -- only a 3 percent gain over the number of home sales in December 1998.

Still, Florida Realtors closed the 1990s with another record year. For the year, the Florida Association of Realtors counted the sale of 149,532 homes, an increase of 8,000.

Rexall to offer Net help

Rexall Showcase International, the direct-sales division of Boca Raton-based Rexall Sundown, said it will introduce an Internet business model at its national conference in February designed to boost sales for its independent distributors and help them recruit other distributors.

The model, called rexall.com, will enable distributors to develop dot-com companies, said David Schofield, the Showcase International president.

BankUnited profits rise

Coral Gables-based BankUnited posted profits of $4 million in the first quarter of 2000, which ended Dec. 31, 1999. The savings bank reported basic and diluted earnings per share of 21 cents, compared with a one-penny gain in the same period a year ago. Bank officials credited a restructuring effort begun last year for the improvement in earnings.

Airline adds 2 Miami flights

National Airlines will add two daily flights today between Miami and Las Vegas. The airline started last year with funding from two Las Vegas casinos. It already serves seven cities. America West currently provides nonstop flights to Las Vegas from Fort Lauderdale and Miami. The new airline has no connection to the original National Airlines.

Commodore buys ship

Commodore Holdings Limited, the Hollywood cruise company, said Wednesday it has purchased the 820-passenger cruise vessel Crown Dynasty. The papers were signed on Monday, in London to complete Commodore's purchase from Helsinki-based Neptun Maritime.

The Crown Dynasty has undergone a $5 million upgrade and has started its Aruba schedule of sailing under the Crown Cruise Line brand, a newly formed upscale brand.

King still wants stations

Boxing promoter Don King said he still has a $4 billion bid on the table to buy 107 of Clear Channel Communications Inc.'s radio stations.

The boxing promoter made the bid in November for all of the stations that Clear Channel is selling as part of its planned purchase of AMFM Inc., King said in an interview at the National Association of Television Program Executives convention in New Orleans. King says he wants the stations to promote minority voices and to tap into the profitability of the U.S. radio business.

DaimlerChrysler exec retiring

Robert Eaton, DaimlerChrysler co-chairman and the former Chrysler chairman and CEO who helped orchestrate the merger with Daimler-Benz AG, will retire from the company March 31.

DaimlerChrysler said Eaton, 59, gave the announcement to a meeting of senior managers Wednesday, saying that "this is the right time for me to go."

"The merger is complete," Eaton said, according to a company statement. "The structure and future leadership is in place. The two companies are one, my goal has been accomplished."